PEDIATRICS Vol. 43 No. 3 March 1969, pp. 317-321
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GAMMA-A IMMUNOGLOBULINS AND THE CONCEPT OF LOCAL IMMUNITY

Richard T. Smith M.D.1

1 Department of Pathology University of Florida College of Medicine Gainesville, Florida 32601

The concept that an active immune response could be generated at the tissue level, particularly in reference to the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts, is an old and venerable one. It was, however, without substantial scientific basis until recently, when the active generation and secretion of antibody activity onto these surfaces was clearly demonstrated.

The key observations were: (1) that anti-viral and anti-bacterial antibodies were present in the secretions of individuals recovered from active infection, (2) that secreted antibodies were dominantly of the gamma-A immunoglobulin class, and (3) that protection against reinfection could be best stimulated by local infection or application of the agent to the mucus surface.